EXHIBIT 10(s)

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

This
Employment Agreement is made and entered into on April 16, 2003 (the Effective Date) by
and between Thomasville Furniture Industries, Inc., a North Carolina corporation
(Thomasville) and Thomas G. Tilley, Jr. (Tilley).

WHEREAS,
Tilley is now and has been employed by Thomasville in a senior management executive
position and is broadly experienced in all facets of Thomasvilles operations; and

WHEREAS,
it is in the best interests of Thomasville to assure that it will have Tilleys continued
dedication;

NOW
THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration and in order to induce Tilley to remain in
the employ of Thomasville, the parties covenant and agree as follows:

1.        Definitions.    
 The following terms shall have the following meanings for purposes of this Agreement.

| | a.        Cause
means (i) an act or acts of personal dishonesty taken by Tilley and intended to result in
Tilley's          substantial personal enrichment at the expense of Thomasville, (ii)
violations by Tilley of this Agreement or of his          employment obligations to
Thomasville which are demonstrably willful on his part and which are not remedied within
a          reasonable period of time after receipt of written notice from Thomasville, or
(iii) Tilleys conviction of a felony          involving moral turpitude.
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| | b.        Disability
means the incapacity to attend to and perform effectively ones duties and
responsibilities which          continues for at least 26 weeks after its commencement,
as determined by a physician selected by Thomasville.
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| | c.        Employment
Period that period beginning on the Effective Date and ending upon Tilleys retirement
or earlier          termination of employment.
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2.        Employment.
 Thomasville agrees to employ Tilley, and Tilley agrees to serve Thomasville in an
executive, managerial and supervisory capacity, subject to the direction and control of
the Board of Directors of Thomasville, all upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set
forth.  During the Employment Period:

| | a.        Tilleys
position (including, without limitation, status, offices, titles and reporting
requirements), authority,          duties and responsibilities shall be at least
commensurate in all material respects with the most significant of those held,
         exercised and assigned at any time during the 90-day period immediately
following the Effective Date,
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| | b.        Tilleys
services shall be performed at the location where the he is employed on the Effective
Date, or at any          office or location not more than thirty-five (35) miles from
such location,
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| | c.        Tilley
shall continue to receive an annual base salary at least equal to the annual base salary
payable to him by          Thomasville on the Effective Date  (Base Salary),
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| | d.        Tilley
shall continue to have an annual cash bonus potential, either pursuant to the Thomasville
Executive Incentive          Plan in effect on the Effective Date or pursuant to a
similar incentive compensation plan of Thomasville, at least equal to          the level
in existence on the Effective Date (Annual Bonus), and
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| | e.        Tilley
shall be entitled to participate in all incentive, savings and retirement plans,
practices, policies and          programs applicable  to other key executive employees of
Thomasville (Benefit Plans).
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The failure of Thomasville, without
Tilleys consent, to comply with the terms and conditions of employment as set forth in
this Section 2 shall constitute Good Reason for the termination by Tilley of his
employment with Thomasville.

3.        Best
Efforts.      Tilley agrees during the Employment Period to devote his best efforts and
substantially all of his business time and attention to the business of Thomasville, it
being agreed that he will have complied with this obligation if he devotes to the
business of Thomasville his same best efforts and the same time and attention to the
business of Thomasville that he has devoted to the business of Thomasville during the
four months immediately following the Effective Date.  Tilley agrees that he will perform
such other executive duties for Thomasville and for Thomasville's subsidiaries relating
to its business as the Board of Directors of Thomasville may reasonably direct.

4.        Term.    
 Subject to the provisions of Sections 4 and 5 of this Agreement, either party shall have
the right to terminate the Employment Period at any time.  If Thomasville terminates
Tilleys employment, other than for Cause or as a result of his death or Disability, or
if Tilley terminates his employment with Thomasville for Good Reason, then Thomasville
will, for a period of one year after the termination date (or, if shorter, until Tilley
reaches Normal Retirement Age (as such concept is used in the primary retirement plan
in which Tilley is a participant on the Effective Date)) but in any event through at
least April 16, 2005, (i) pay to Tilley as and when normally payable his Base Salary as
in effect on the date of termination and an amount equal to the average Annual Bonus
received by him for the past three years prior to termination, or since the commencement
of his employment with Thomasville, whichever period is the shorter (or a pro-rated
portion of such average Annual Bonus), and (ii) subject to program eligibility
requirements and continuation of programs by Thomasville, continue his participation in
the Benefit Plans in which he was participating on the date of termination of employment.

5.        Split
Dollar Insurance Policy.      If Thomasville terminates Tilleys employment other than for
Cause or as a result of his death or Disability, or if Tilley terminates his employment
with Thomasville for Good Reason, then Thomasville will continue to make premium payments
for so long as Thomasville is making payments to Tilley under Section 4 hereof under any
and all split dollar life insurance programs in effect on Tilley's life as of the
Effective Date, after which Tilley will be entitled to ownership of the policy and
Thomasville will be entitled to premium retrieval, all in accordance with the terms of
the program, but only to the extent of the cash value of the policy, and without recourse
to Tilley for the balance of any such premium retrieval.

6.        Non-Competition.    
 During the period commencing on the Effective Date and while employed by Thomasville,
and for a period of one year after termination of employment, Tilley shall not, without
the prior written consent of Thomasville, directly or indirectly, own, control, finance,
manage, operate, join or participate in the ownership, control, financing, management or
operation of, or be connected as an employee, consultant or in any other capacity with,
any business engaged in the manufacture or distribution of residential furniture in the
United States.  Nothing in this Section 6 shall, however, restrict Tilley from making
investments in other ventures which are not competitive with Thomasville, or restrict him
from owning less than one percent (1%) of the outstanding securities of companies listed
on a national stock exchange or actively traded in the over-the-counter market.  In
addition, if Thomasville terminates the Employment Period (other than for Cause) and
Tilley elects to forego the payments called for in Sections 4 and 5 hereof, the
provisions of this Section 6 shall not apply.  Should any of the terms of this Section 6
be found to be unenforceable because they are over-broad in any respects then they shall
be deemed amended to the extent, and only to the extent, necessary to render them
enforceable.  Both parties stipulate that money damages would be inadequate to compensate
for any breaches of the terms of this Section 6, and that such terms shall be enforceable
through appropriate equitable relief, without the necessity of proving actual damages and
to an equitable accounting of all earnings, profits, and other benefits arising from such
violation, which rights shall be cumulative and in addition to any other rights and
remedies to which Thomasville may be entitled.

7.        Confidentiality.    
 During the Employment Period and at all times thereafter, Tilley shall maintain the
confidentiality of, and shall not disclose to any person (except as his duties as an
employee of Thomasville may require) any non-public information concerning Thomasville or
its business.

8.        Miscellaneous.    
 This Employment Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of
Tilley's heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives, and shall be binding
upon and inure to the benefit of Thomasville and its successors and assigns.  This
Agreement shall supersede and stand in place of any and all other agreements between
Tilley and Thomasville regarding severance pay and/or any and all severance pay benefits
pursuant to any plan or practice of Thomasville.  This Employment Agreement shall take
effect as of the day and year first above set forth, and its validity, interpretation,
construction and performance shall be governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina.

9.        Indemnification.    
 In the event that either party hereto is required to pursue litigation against the other
party to enforce his or its rights hereunder, the prevailing party in any such litigation
shall be entitled to reimbursement of the costs and expenses of such litigation,
including attorneys fees.

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10.        Waivers.    
 In consideration of the undertakings of Thomasville set forth in this Agreement, Tilley
hereby irrevocably waives and forever releases any and all claims and causes of action of
any nature whatsoever that he has or may have against Thomasville or any of its officers,
directors, employees or agents arising out of the negotiation, execution, delivery or
terms of this Agreement, including, without limitation, any claims arising under the Age
Discrimination in Employment Act, 29 U.S.C.  21 et seq., and any state or local law
relating to age discrimination.

11.        Entire
Agreement.      This Agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties with respect to
its subject matter, and no waiver, modification or change of any of its provisions shall
be valid unless in writing and signed by the party against whom such claimed waiver,
modification or change is sought to be enforced.

IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have each executed this Agreement the date set forth
below.

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Agreed to and Approved:

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|FURNITURE BRANDS    | 
|INTERNATIONAL, INC. | 

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|By:  /s/ Wilbert G. Holliman | 
|Chairman of the Board        | 
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